1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitoring system capable of detecting that a person enters a monitoring area from an area outside the monitoring area, or a person exists from the monitoring area to the area outside the monitoring area.
The present invention relates to a monitoring device capable of imaging a characteristic part such as the face of an entering person.
The present invention relates to a monitoring device capable of monitoring a place which cannot be monitored by an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera in the night, for example.
The present invention relates to an imaging system for intermittently recording a picked-up image of a subject.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[1] An example of a conventional monitoring system for prevention is one for always imaging a monitoring area using a video camera, and displaying a picked-up image on a monitor as well as recording the picked-up image on a video tape. In such a monitoring system, an image projected on the monitor must be always monitored by a supervisor in order to know that a person enters the monitoring area from an area outside the monitoring area.
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system capable of automatically detecting and reporting to a supervisor that a person enters a monitoring area from an area outside the monitoring area.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system capable of automatically detecting that a person enters a monitoring area from an area outside the monitoring area and starting the recording of a picked-up image at the time point.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system capable of automatically detecting and reporting to a supervisor that a person exits from a monitoring area to an area outside the monitoring area.
[2] A monitoring video camera is set for prevention in a convenience store, a bank, and so forth, so that an image picked up by the video camera is recorded on a VTR (Video Tape Recorder), and is made use of for criminal investigation.
In the conventional VTR, however, the whole of a monitoring area is imaged and recorded. In cases such as a case where a crime occurred, the face of a criminal recorded on the VTR cannot, in some cases, be sufficiently recognized. Even in a case where almost all of persons are absent, f or example, in the night, recording is always made on the VTR, so that a huge amount of a video tape or the like is required, and it takes long to make a search at a later time.
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device capable of easily recording a face image important to specify an individual.
[3] In the place where there is no predetermined illuminance, for example, in the night, an image cannot be obtained by an imaging device such as a CCD camera. Therefore, the imaging device cannot be used as a monitoring camera for prevention. On the other hand, an infrared camera measures, on the basis of the amount of infrared rays emitted from an object, the temperature of the object, converts the temperature distribution of the object into an amount which can be recognized by a person, and outputs the amount to a monitor or the like.
The infrared camera can output, if there is an object, an image based on the quantity of heat of the object depending on emitted infrared rays irrespective of illuminance, so that it is considered that the infrared camera is utilized as a monitoring camera in the place where the CCD camera is poor at monitoring, for example, in the night.
In the above-mentioned infrared camera, however, all objects are respectively outputted as images corresponding to their quantities of heat. In order to judge whether or not the image is a person, an operator must make the judgment by observing the monitor or the like, resulting in band operability.
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device capable of easily doing monitoring even in the place where there is no illuminance, for example, in the night.
[4] When an object which is very slowly moving is imaged, for example, a plant or a living thing in the growth process, a subject has been conventionally recorded for each predetermined time period.
An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging system capable of recording a picked-up image of a subject every time the amount of movement of the subject from the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded becomes not less than a predetermined amount.
A first monitoring system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising an imaging device for imaging a monitoring area, and means for detecting information relating to the movement of an object in the monitoring area on the basis of an output of the imaging device.
It is preferable to provide means for judging whether or not somebody enters the monitoring area on the basis of the information relating to the movement of the object. It is preferable to provide reporting means for reporting, when it is judged that somebody enters the monitoring area, to a supervisor that somebody enters the monitoring area.
It is preferable to provide a recording device for recording an image picked up by the imaging device, and means for starting the recording by the recording device when it is judged that somebody enters the monitoring area.
It is preferable to provide a recording device for recording an image picked up by the imaging device, reporting means for reporting, when it is judged that somebody enters the monitoring area, to a supervisor that somebody enters the monitoring area, and means for starting the recording by the recording device when it is judged that somebody enters the monitoring area.
An entering person detecting sensor maybe provided in an entrance path of a person entering the monitoring area so that the imaging device is operated when the entering person is detected by the entering person detecting sensor. It is preferable that a power supply comprising a solar battery and a storage battery storing power obtained by the solar battery supplies the power to the imaging device.
An example of the information relating to the movement of the object is a motion vector corresponding to a detecting area or motion vectors corresponding to a plurality of detecting areas set in an imaging area of the imaging device.
The resolution of the imaging device may be a sufficiently low resolution to judge the presence or absence of the movement of the object.
A second monitoring system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising an imaging device for imaging a monitoring area, means for detecting information relating to the movement of an object in the monitoring area on the basis of an output of the imaging device, means for judging whether or not a person to be monitored exits from the monitoring area on the basis of the information relating to the movement of the object, and reporting means for reporting, when it is judged that the person to be monitored exits from the monitoring area, to a supervisor that the person to be monitored exits from the monitoring area.
A third monitoring system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising first imaging means for imaging a monitoring area, detection means for detecting the movement of an object in the monitoring area on the basis of an output of the first imaging means, and second imaging means for imaging, when the movement of the object in the monitoring area is detected,a moving portion.
An example of the second imaging means is one for enlarging the moving portion and imaging the enlarged moving portion.
The first imaging means comprises a monitoring camera for imaging the whole monitoring area, and the second imaging means comprises a close-up camera for taking a close-up of a part of the monitoring area and imaging the part whose close-up has been taken. The first imaging means and the second imaging means may be constituted by one video camera having a zoom mechanism.
There may be provided a recording device, a switch for switching an output of the first imaging means and an output of the second imaging means and feeding the output obtained by the switching to the recording device, and control means for controlling the switch such that the output of the first imaging means is fed to the recording device when the movement of the object in the monitoring area is not detected, while the output of the second imaging means is fed to the recording device when the movement of the object in the monitoring area is detected.
It is preferable that an identifier for making identification as to which of the output of the first imaging device and the output of the second imaging device is recorded is recorded by the recording device.
It is preferable to make, in reproducing an image recorded by the recording device, the speed at which an image picked up by the second imaging means is reproduced lower than the speed at which an image picked up by the first imaging means is reproduced.
There may be provided a recording device, and means for recording the output of the second imaging device by the recording device only when the movement of the object in the monitoring area is detected.
A fourth monitoring system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising detection means for detecting the movement of an object in a monitoring area by a signal change obtained on the basis of the amount of infrared rays in the monitoring area, and output means for outputting the results of the detection by the detection means.
A fifth monitoring system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising an infrared camera for receiving infrared rays emitted from an object in a monitoring area, detection means for detecting the movement of the object in the monitoring area on the basis of a signal change proportional to the intensity of the infrared rays outputted from the infrared camera, and output means for outputting the results of the detection by the detection means.
It is preferable that the fourth monitoring system or the fifth monitoring system according to the present invention is provided with a warning device, and means for driving the warning device on the basis of the output of the detection means.
It is preferable that the fourth monitoring system or the fifth monitoring system is provided with a video camera for imaging the monitoring area, and means for driving the video camera on the basis of the output of the detection means.
An imaging system according to the present invention is an imaging system for intermittently recording a picked-up image of a subject, characterized by comprising an imaging device for imaging the subject, movement amount measurement means for measuring the amount of movement of the subject from the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded on the basis of an output of the imaging device, and means for recording the picked-up image obtained by the imaging device when the amount of movement of the subject from the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded becomes not less than a predetermined amount.
There may be provided means for recording, unless the amount of movement of the subject from the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded becomes not less than a predetermined amount before a predetermined time period has elapsed since the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded, the picked-up image obtained by the imaging device at the time point where the predetermined time period has elapsed since the previous time when the picked-up image was recorded.